Cambodia building collapse kills 24 people

Phnom Penh: Two dozen people were killed in Cambodia when a seven-story building that was under-construction collapsed.

The death toll in the accident, which occurred in southwestern Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk Province, rose to 24 according to a report released by the rescue team on Monday.

"By 6:30 a.m. on June 24, 2019, 24 people were found dead under the debris, and 24 others were injured," the report said, adding that the rescue operation is still going on.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen headed to Sihanoukvilleon Sunday evening to oversee the rescue operation, according to a post on his Facebook page.

The Chinese Embassy to Cambodia issued a condolence statement on Sunday, expressing its deepest sympathy to the victims in the accident.

The embassy immediately reached out to Chinese enterprises and chambers of commerce in Cambodia, mobilising human resources, materials as well as equipment including large excavators to help with the rescue, the statement said.

Preah Sihanouk Provincial Governor Yun Min told Chinese state media that it is believed that between 40 and 50 construction workers were asleep in the building when it collapsed.

Seng Loth, a spokesman for the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction, said the building was constructed without permission.

"It was an unlicensed project, and the provincial authorities had warned the developer twice, but they ignored the warnings," he told Chinese state media.

He said competent authorities are investigating the cause of the building's collapse.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian government set up a committee to inspect the quality of all under-construction buildings in southwestern Cambodia’s Preah Sihanouk province following the accident.

The committee is led by Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Secretary of State Lao Tip Seiha, with members from the council of ministers, interior ministry, environment ministry, national police, tourism Ministry, and Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities, according to a decision signed by Hun Sen late on Sunday.

“The committee has duties to inspect the technical standard, construction licenses, construction standards, safety standards, and quality of buildings at construction sites in Preah Sihanouk province,” the decision read.

It also instructed the committee to evaluate the qualifications of construction companies and to update the already-constructed buildings.